We go on and on about the junkyards here in Southern California, but since most of us aren't actually from the area, we know that a lot of the stuff we come across isn't actually that common in other parts of the country-and many of you remind us regularly. For that reason, we've decided to do another junkyard crawl, but this time, we're going to focus on the later-model stuff that should be occupying yards coast to coast. There are tons of useful parts and pieces that can be pirated from newer vehicles and put into service on vintage street machines, but some of the good stuff is easy to overlook. Check out what we recently came across, and keep your eyes and your mind open.

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cars and can easily be upgraded with more aggressive cam timing and intake and exhaust improvements for even more power, but that's just part of the package. These cars also have the tall B-body spindles that can be combined with aftermarket upper control arms to upgrade the handling of early A-bodies (Chevelles and the like); 12-inch brakes are a bonus. Out back, rear discs with aluminum PBR calipers can also be swapped into earlier GM cars. Plus, there's close-ratio steering, an aluminum radiator with killer electric fans, a 4L60 overdrive trans, and more. We found four 9C1 Caprices during our crawl.

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The 351 Windsor is hugely popular with Blue Oval guys these days, whether it's being used to pump up a Fox-era Mustang or a vintage Ford. But Windsor cores can be elusive, particularly because the 351W was rarely, if ever, the standard engine in a passenger car or truck. Fortunately, it remained in production until 1995. One of the later-model uses was in Crown Vic police cars until the body style changed in '92 and the modular V-8 took over. This former cop Vic looks more granny with its light-blue respray, but under the hood is a Windsor topped with Ford's miserable variable venturi carb. That's your clue for spotting the Windsor in later, boxy Vics-the 302 was injected at this point.

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Speaking of late Thunderbirds, the independent rear suspension used in all '89-'97 models is used in some popular Cobra replica car packages. Pulling one here would be cheaper than having to buy a whole donor car. We've seen these under a couple of early Mustangs, too, but be warned, they're kinda heavy.

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Although they're quickly becoming collectible, the late second-gen Trans Ams and their Z28 cousins still frequent the yards, and they make great donors for GM street-machine projects. This is a '76, but the later they are, the better the parts. For example, '79-'81 T/As with the WS-6 package have rear disc brakes that bolt on to other muscle-era GM axles; close-ratio steering (14:1) was another part of the package that can swap to any GM car with a Saginaw steering box. The fat front sway bars also fit '64-'67 A-bodies as well as '77-'96 B-bodies (Caprice). Don't forget to check the rear for an 8.5-inch 10-bolt with Posi-traction.

Easy Big-BlocksTechnology is great, but there's still something really cool about the killer torque that can only come from a mammoth engine. The popularity of big-block Chevys and Mopars has driven up their value and their scarcity, but you can still go big for moderate cash if you're willing to step out of the mainstream. Check out these frequent yard inhabitants for ideas.

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The most common big-block in any yard we go to has to be the 429/460 Ford, probably one of the most underrated engines in the musclecar realm. We built one in the Feb. '06 issue and easily made 514 hp. Even if you can't find mid-'70s barges like this, 460-powered trucks from the '80s are super plentiful. Build the short-block, swap on some aluminum heads, and you've got 500 hp and 500 lb-ft without even trying.